Haul Out

Took her out of the water for the first time since we launched. Changed the oil and filter, changed the lower unit oil, scrubbed and repainted the bottom, cut the skegs down and mounted them permanently, and got the boat name painted on. I raised the boot stripe on the stern too, to make her look like she’s floating on her lines instead of being stern-low.

First thing I did was to scrub off all the green scum and repaint the bottom.

Checking out name sizes.

Nancy painted the letters free-hand after outlining with chalk.

Dark gold trim finishes the lettering.

Oh Gnats!

While painting the doors in the back yard last evening a cloud of gnats came by.

Here’s the scene of devastation this morning. Oh, the humanity! Death toll in the hundreds.

Night View With Port Light

I like this picture. The Port navigation light throws a soft glow through a cloud of cigar smoke. I sat in the boat in the dark and listened to music and enjoyed a cigar and a beer. It’s about the first time I could easily imagine being on the water.

Paint Details

Primer on the Bow and Other Progress

I primed the bow and the stem post. It still needs some sanding, but the primer makes it look a lot more finished. I’m about ready to prime the whole inside of the hull and the gunwales. This is a lot of area because of the high bulwarks all around the boat.  I’m also finishing the space under the pilothouse sole. The forward area will hold the batteries, and the rear area will have the fresh and grey water tanks, with the galley above.

Here’s the view from inside the pilothouse, with the mooring bitt set in place. I’m going to paint the inside of the chain locker with gray Bilgekote paint:

I like how the stem post is coming out:
 

Inside the pilothouse, just forward of the steering station. This is a removable board sized to hold a standard large chart book. It will lift out for access forward to the head. The part on the right is fixed and will be used to mount electronics.
 

Here’ a shot of the galley roughed in. The butane stove is dropped into the cutout  on the right. The cutting board covers the stove. The sink will go on the left, where the drill is now. The photo is from the aft cabin facing forward. The vertical board is the underside of the pilothouse seat mount. The seats tilt forward to give access to the galley.

Forepeak Primer

 

I finished glassing and sanding up front, and applied primer this weekend.  Priming the underside if the deck with just 2 feet of clearance was really hard and really messy. I wore my full coveralls with hood, and a full-face respirator. When I finally came out the respirator window was splattered with paint. I had to clean it with solvent.  The drop-in panels will be varnished and hinged. The two holes in front will have clear screw-in covers. I’d like to get some finish paint applied next weekend. 

Paint!

Ordered through Jamestown Distributors.  I’ve spent the last couple of weeks sanding and filling the bulwarks, chain lockers, and stern lockers to get ready for primer and paint.  I also made the Dorade boxes mentioned in the previous post. Another weekend of this and I hope to be able to prime the rest of the exterior of the boat.

Outside (Red and Yellow will be made semi-gloss using flattening agent)

Cabin side lower : qt (2) KIR-24 KIRBY #24 RED MARINE PAINT QT

Cabin side upper: qt (1) KIR-11 KIRBY #11 YELLOW MARINE PAINT QT

Cabin tops and deck: hg (1) INT-YHS070KITHG INTERLUX PERFECTION CREAM HALF GAL

Hull: qt (2) INT-YHY999KITQ INTERLUX PERFECTION JET BLACK QT 6/CS (looking for a flattening agent for Perfection 2-part poly – don’t want this too shiny)

Inside (will be given a satin finish using flattening agent)

Main interior: qt (2) KIR-6 KIRBY #6 IVORY MARINE PAINT QT

Overhead and trim: qt (1) KIR-15 KIRBY #15 STRAW MARINE PAINT QT

Flattening agent for 1-part paint: qt (3) INT-YMA715Q INTERLUX YMA715 BRIGHTSIDE ADDITIVE GLOSS REDUCER-FLATTENING AGENT

First Primer

 

     I finally primed the whole cabin yesterday. This makes me very happy   I could have spent another weekend or two filling and sanding, but I need to keep telling myself that this isn’t a piece of furniture, it’s a tool that will get banged up and abused, and a fine finish is not necessary. Getting the thing in the water before summer is the priority!

I’m in the process of ordering the portholes and the main windows now. About $4500 for the lot of them.  This should be the last big expense before the motor and electronics.

Boat Colors

(Edited 1/2/2008 to use the cleaned-up pictures. I used Paint.net to smooth the lines.)

Here’s the boat with Kirby paint colors.  I like the top one best so far. Maybe a little brighter than my final choices, but very pretty to my eye. 

 

 

 

…and a matching Coot burgee!

Bottom Paint

I rolled on 2 1/2 coats of red Interlux Micron CSC bottom paint using the ‘Rollerfoam’ rollers. It went on well, although pretty thick. The last half coat was as recommended on the can – adding extra protection to the high-wear areas at the stem and keel. I saved about a cup from the gallon for touchups when I launch.

I made the waterline about 1 1/4 inches above DWL. I hope it looks OK when the boat is in the water.